Under par becomes revolving door at US Open

Tiger Woods tees off on the 18th hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at Merion Golf Club, Friday, June 14, 2013, in Ardmore, Pa. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

ARDMORE, Pa. (AP) — A score of 1 under par was a precious as a small piece of shade on a hot day at the U.S. Open.

Phil Mickelson and Billy Horschel were there at the start of the third round Saturday, leading the field at the Merion Golf Club. Soon they were gone, replaced by John Senden and Justin Rose. Then along came Luke Donald to make it a trio. A few minutes later, 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel was there all by himself. The busiest worker at the tournament had to be the leaderboard operator.

Sunshine was baking a tough and tight little course that had been soaked by heavy rain for a week. The sloping greens were faster and tougher to read. Any putt beyond 15 feet became an adventure. Typical of the day: Horschel leaning back in disbelief after missing a 7-foot par putt at No. 5, his expression as colorful as his horizontal-striped shirt.

As the leaders approached the end of the front nine, no one had made it to 2 under, and it became clear that a runaway round to establish a clear leader was unlikely. Quite the contrary. Many scores were running in the opposite direction.

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Tiger Woods bogeyed three of his first six holes to fall to 5 over, putting the ball all over the place. He made a nice arcing 15-footer for birdie at No. 1 but missed an 8-footer for par at No. 3. He kept having to bail himself out from tee shots that landed in the rough, although at least he was showing no obvious signs of the left elbow problem that’s been ailing him this week.

Rory McIlroy was faring even worse, with four bogeys in his first six before a birdie at No. 7 put him at 5 over.

Senden, who won the Australian Open in his homeland seven years ago, moved from 1 over to 1 under in a hurry by opening with a pair of birdies. Rose, whose only top 10 finish at the U.S. Open came 10 years ago, joined Senden in first place with a birdie putt at No. 5 — only to lose a stroke on the next hole.

Mickelson and Horschel shared lead at 1 under after the second-round was completed earlier Saturday. In the third round, Horschel saved par at No. 2 by making a putt from the fringe on a hole that ended a remarkable streak of accuracy. Horschel didn’t miss a green in regulation during the second round, but his trouble at the 2nd included a hook that went so far left that he had to stand a few feet behind a water cooler to make his next shot.

But Mickelson and Horschel could get a handle on the 245-yard par-3 third, Horschel finding the bunker and Mickelson the greenside rough. Both 2-putted for bogey to fall back to even par.

Then there was a lefty making a charge at Lefty. Edward Loar eagled the par-3 2nd and birdied No. 5 to move to 1 over.

The average score through two rounds on the par-70 course was 74.7. The cut line was 8 over, saving both defending champion Webb Simpson (5 over) and Scott (7 over) and keeping alive, albeit faintly, hopes for a Grand Slam. The third round was played in threesomes teeing off at Nos. 1 and 11 in a tournament that fell behind schedule when storms moved through the Philadelphia area on Thursday.

“I’m three off the lead in the U.S. Open,” said Ian Poulter, who was 2 over after the second round. “And that’s the difference of one hole. You can make birdie and someone can make double. I’m right in position and right there where I want to be. It’s going to be a fun weekend.”